Tonight kicked off with me leading my first GoodGym run, kindly assessed by Steph Ducat - while I'm happy to say I got everyone there in one happy piece, I'm a bit ashamed by the short length of it...! Next time, I'm gonna train you harder!

We then returned to the scene of Saturday's pesto-making , continuing on the mission to rid Olden Community Garden of the pesky invasive species: Three Cornered Leek.

Digging the plants out of the rocky, steeply sloped banks of the orchard - carefully ensuring that all the bulbs are lifted from the ground - made for tricky work in the dark, but satisfying too. Once dug, another team carefully separated the leaves from the roots, so that Islington council can safely dispose of the stubborn little bulbs.

We all went home with a bag of Three Cornered Leek leaves, ready for some pesto making back at home. Perhaps we should host a taste-test next Monday?!

A really solid turnout for a Monday evening as 10! of us went gardening in Stroud Green. Quite a few ran from the stadium which is particularly impressive. Eslam was on good form as he talked through all the recent activity in the garden. It was a case of divide and conquer here as half the group shoveled compost into a wheelbarrow while the others offloaded it into a new heap. We got the task done with time to spare which is testament to the turnout. A good mix of old and new.

Had a lot of fun chipping in at Graham Street Park with some composting. It's a lovely park of town by the canal. Nice to see some familiar faces as we worked as a close knit team to work away at the two small compost heaps. We had a little bit of a scare early on as we were threatened to be kicked out by a park keeper but we managed to negotiate a bit more time to finish the job. A proper workout with plenty of forking and shoveling to be had. Thanks Eslam for having us and I'm sure we'd happily return if there's more to do in the coming months.

8 GoodGymers dug a pond, planted wildflowers, and made a REAL DIFFERENCE in Highgate!

Tucked and nestled away — behind houses and flats — is a special green space that's being re-purposed by the community in North London!

The Makepeace Community Garden on the Holly Lodge Estate is fast becoming a nature-bound oasis, and our wonderful group of GoodGymers are making a steady and regular difference :)

This lovely lot — Cecilia, Charlie, DaMarcus, Emily, Harvey (celebrating good deed 1001! CONGRATULATIONS!), Leora, and Luna (on their first good deed — welcome!) — caught a good-deeding wind yesterday morning!

Together they:

❤️ Dug, lined, and filled a delightful new pond!

❤️ Cut away an old weed membrane and planted oodles of wildflower seeds!

❤️ Positioned and installed hedgehog highways!

❤️ Mowed the lawn!

❤️ Planted fresh flowers and plants!

Thank you, everyone! Here's to next time!

P.S. Thank you to Cecilia and Emily for the many wonderful photos ❤️